Petrovic returns to Feyenoord as assistant coach
Zeljko Petrovic has returned to the club where he began his career as a coach. The 54-year-old from Montenegro has agreed a one-year deal with Feyenoord, running until mid-2021.
The departure of Said Bakkati, who decided to accept a post at FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer, had created a vacancy on the bench at Feyenoord. Petrovic was the ideal replacement.
‘It’s nice to complete our staff,’ said Feyenoord’s technical director Frank Arnesen. ‘Petrovic is an experienced assistant coach who has shown he can work well with Dick Advocaat. We are fully confident that, together with the other members of staff, Zeljko will make sure that Feyenoord’s performance is at the highest level next season.’
Petrovic himself is happy to be back at Feyenoord. ‘Fifteen years have flown by. I’ve seen a lot of the world, experienced a lot. I’m now bringing that all with me to Rotterdam. I’ll do my utmost next season to prolong the success that Feyenoord has achieved since Advocaat arrived.’
Petrovic was assistant coach at De Kuip in the 2004-2005 season under head coach Ruud Gullit. He went on to take on head coach duties at RKC Waalwijk and ADO Den Haag, among other places, and has been assistant coach at various clubs around the globe, including Anzhi Makhachkala, Sunderland AFC and FC Utrecht.